In Place

Three Questions

1. Stockholm dipped in the standings; did their team stats also fall? If you look at the team statistics and compare them to Stockholm’s Season 6 statistics, you will think you are seeing double. They were almost identical in goals and goals against, shot and shots against, and special teams. Actually, if you look closer, the Eagles actually improved a fraction in every single category. Still, the 14th overall finish was a five-place drop from the previous season. It must be that the competition around the Eagles in the standings was just a little better last season than it was the year before. The only significant difference in team stats was in penalty minutes, where the team took roughly one less penalty per game than it did the previous season. Could that somehow impact the team’s success? It bears observation. Perhaps the team needs to get grittier. Zach Bogosian has been shouldering much of the hitting and enforcement load for Stockholm and Brendan Gallagher does a great job of distracting opponents, but the team might need to dish out a little more physicality to give their puckhandlers more time and space.

2. What does Stockholm have going for them? The Eagles have many good parts, including a few players that will be dominant skaters in the future, but the Stockholm goalie is elite and the defense corps is superb. Braden Holtby has had five seasons with save percentages of 90.3 or higher and that important statistic has been trending upward. The 28-year-old Holtby was the first overall draft pick in Season 3 and Stockholm has him until he’s age 30. Between now and then, and afterward if they can re-sign him as a Type 3 player, Holtby will have some very good help in front of him. Zach Bogosian has the tools to be one of the best defensemen in the league. For you Websim fans, note that his worst individual attribute is 81 in Finesse. That’s his worst. Why Bogosian was a minus 26 last season is one of the great mysteries of Sweden, along with “The Mind’s Eye” by Håkan Nesser. Bogosian is good for 90 blocked shots and 210 hits per season. Veteran Keith Yandle, Cam Fowler, Olli Maatta and young Swede John Klingberg all have superior offensive skills and they can really skate, so that gives Stockholm five top-notch defensemen. The sixth spot came down to a coin flip between two unproven Americans – Brady Skjei and Ryan Gunderson. Of the two, Skjei is more physical, while Gunderson skates much faster. Because Klingberg and Yandle aren’t very good at the grittier part of the game, Skjei was the best chioce. Initial reports out of Sweden have Skjei paired with Maatta, who is also penciled in as an assistant captain on the team. If Coach Mike Johnston can find the optimal playing style for the defense corps, look for goals against to go down and wins to go up.

3. How strong are the forwards? The addition of Joe Pavelski as free agent is what everyone in Stockholm will be pointing to as the key to improvement. With the right linemates, Pavelski could lift the team at the right times. But Pavelski is 34 now and those hoping he will return to the form he had when he played in Madrid will probably be disappointed. He was younger than 30 when he played for the Royals. But in Stockholm, Pavelski could be asked to play top line minutes and those close to him say that’s the chance he has been hoping for since being relegated to second-line duty in stops with Belfast and Lisbon. He remains in top shape, and he should have no trouble skating 24 minutes per game. Bobby Ryan and Mats Zuccarello both have the playmaking ability to play the left wing and give Pavelski scoring chances. On the right side, Coach Mike Johnston will pick either Brendan Gallagher, the speedy pest who can dig for pucks and distract goalies, or steady and relentless Bryan Little. Either way, the Eagles have the makings of a dangerous line. Eric Staal is penciled in as the center on a line with whoever doesn’t gel with Pavelski, to form a line that will surely be packed with finesse and puck-moving skill. The future marquee player on the team, Jack Eichel, scored 48 points last season and he seems destined to double that total at some point in his career. For the time being, Stockholm will rely on him to play the role of the responsible third-line center. The team will have a decent checking line featuring Curtis Lazar centering either Adam Lowry or Michael Bournival on one wing, and either Ryan Johansen or Joakim Hillding on the other.

DENVER, CO. – DECEMBER 19: Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov stretched out before the game Thursday night. The Colorado Avalanche hosted the Edmonton Oilers in an NHL game at the Pepsi Center Thursday night, December 19, 2013. Photo By Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

Kris Letang lifts the EURO Cup after Paris defeated St. Petersburg.

Montreal Canadiens’ Tomas Plekanec celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Paris Rouge Eiffel center Mikko Koivu (9) .

One of the elite defensemen in the league is Kevin Shattenkirk of Copenhagen, who has had plus 19 and plus 25 seasons.

Nicklas Lidstrom retired after playing 167 regular season and playoff games for Geneva, scoring 101 points and leading them to the first EURO Cup.

Erik Karlsson of Madrid is the fastest skater, most accurate shooter in the EURO League.

Matt Duchene lifts the EURO Cup after the Belfast Giants won Game 5 in Northern Ireland Thursday.